7/3/09- He had lost weight, around 30 grams. Very unusual for him. I started watching him more closely. Appetite good, output good and drinking.

7/10/09- He had lost another 30 grams. I made an appointment for him to go in to the vet, they had nothing open for a week or so, took first available. Appetite still good, drinking, pooing.

7/15/09- Around midnight, he started vocalizing while urinating. Shortly after, his urine has blood in it. He was very uncomfortable.

7/16/09- Made an emergency appointment at Cornell. By now, he was in a lot of pain and having trouble passing urine.

1 pm- Arrived at Cornell. He had xrays. Sludgy bladder shown and a large stone (urolith) was present in his urethra as well as several smaller stones in the bladder. A catheter was used to push the stone back into the bladder. A follow-up xray was done to be sure the stone was back in the bladder.

He was kept overnight for observation and in hopes of having surgery performed ASAP.

7/17/09- After attempts were made to have the surgery performed at Cornell with no luck, I picked him up. He looked rough and was extremely lethargic. Decreased appetite but did drink well. The urine was much more clear than the previous day.

7/18/09- I took him to The Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine to have surgery performed to remove the stone.

10 am - 1 pm: Surgery was performed, complicated. 1 large stone, 3 small stones and 1 large polyp were removed. The polyp was sent to the lab and the stones were sent out for analysis (U of Minnesota). He remained on an IV for the day and through the night. He was receiving antibiotics, pain meds, fluids, and being hand fed.

7/19/09- IV was removed. He stood on his own for a minute or so. Urinating and pooing. He was recovering quickly, considering everything.

7/20/09- Walked more and his urine was clearing a little more everyday. Incision looked good. His appetite was also getting better.

7/22/09- Urine is clear. Weight is down to 980 from normal 1250 or so. Was being weaned off buprenex. Poos were taking on a more normal shape and consistency.

7/23/09- Appetite was close to normal and his activity level had improved.

7/24/09- Fluids were stopped. And he was given the OK to come home on the 26th.

7/26/09- SmartyPants came home and was doing well. Lab results on the polyp says it Leiomyosarcoma. The vet didn't trust this result and sent a sample to another exotic pathologist for a second opinion.

8/4/09- This new pathologist says that polyps are common in bladders with inflammatory issues, like stones. He also says they are seeing them more and more in guinea pigs with stones. The polyp was not cancerous.

8/18/09- His weight has been improving gradually at a slow and steady pace. Overall, he is recovering quite well.